Portable water-tower.



N0. 645,470. Pate'hted Mar. l3, I900.

n. n. GORTER.

PORTABLE WATER TOWER.

A lication filed Jan. 11, 1B99.L

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THE-NORR15.PETR5 w, PMDTO L mo WASHINGTON n c No. 645,470. Patented Mar.l3, I900. H. H. GOBTER.

PORTABLE WATER TOWER.

(Application flldd Jan. 11, 1899. (Na Model.) B Sheets$haet 2.

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No. 645,470. 7 Patented mar. |j3',' I900.-

- H.'H. GOBTER.

PORTABLE WATER TOWER.

(Application filed Jan. 11, 1899.)

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No. 645,470. Pate ntedMar. l3, I900.

H. H. GORTER. PORTABLE WATER. TOWER.

, (Application filed. J's-n. 11 1899.)

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No. 645,470. Patented Mar. I3; I900.

H. H. GORTER.

PORTABLE WATER TOWER.

(Application filed Jan. 11, 1899.!

(No Model.) 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 fifi/zessesv I IfizrenZZr. yflf/mwgw, w.144%;

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No. 645,470. Patented Mar. 13, I900. H. H. GORTER. PORTABLE WATER TOWER.

(Application filed. Jan. 11, 1899.1

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NITED STATES PATENT FFIGE.

HENRY II. GORTER, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO MARY GORTER,OF SAME PLACE.

PORTABLE WATER-TOWER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 645,470, dated March13, 1900.

Application filed January 11, 1899. Serial No. 701,871. (No model.)

proved means for raising the tower and swinging it to any desired angleeither when or when not discharging water, improved means for connectingthe tower with the water-supply, improved means for extending the tower,

enabling it to be extended or collapsed with equal facility when inoperation discharging water or when the water is shut off, and improvedmeans for directing the nozzle of the tower.

Myinvcntion also resides in the novel construction, combination, andarrangement of parts hereinafter fully specified, and particularlypointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation ofthewater-tower. Fig. 2 is a plan view of aportion of the truck, showing thewater-pipe connections and the means for elevating and swinging thetower. In this figure the casing of the water-wheels is partly removedand the worm-segment on the right of the figure is also removed. Fig. 3is an enlarged view of one side of the lower casing. Fig. 4 is avertical section of the tower-support and connections. Fig. 5 is anenlarged vertical section of the top and bottom of the upper casing, theintermediate portion being removed. Fig. 6 is an enlarged verticalsection of a portion of the lower casing. Fig. 7 is an enlargedhorizontal section of the same. Fig. 8 is a side elevation, partlyinsection,- at right angles to the views of Figs. 3 and 6, of the lowerportion of the frame. Fig. 9 is a side elevation of the top of thehollow mast. Fig. 10 is a section on the line 10 10 of Fig. 9. Fig. 11is a horizontal section on the line 11 11 of Fig. 9. Fig. 12 is atransverse section of the three-way valve. Fig. 13 is a longitudinalsection of the same. Fig. 14 is a vertical section of the upper portionof the stand-pipe. Fig. 15 is a top plan view of the 7 lowercoupling-section, and Fig. 16 is a bottom plan view of the uppercoupling-section.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents the truck of my improvedwater-tower mounted on axles 2, front wheels 3, and rear wheels 5,

a fifth-wheel 6 and springs 7 being interposed between the truck and thefront wheels-3. Upon the middle portion of the truck is mounted areceiver 9, into which receiver conduits 10 lead from the sides ofthetruck, said conduits being adapted to be connected at their outerends 11 with fire-hose 13 from the fire-engines. From said receiver adischargepipe 14, controlled by a cook 16, leads to the rear of thetruck, being there bent upward in to a stand-pipe 15 and terminating ina pipecoupling section 17.

In suitable standards 18, erected on the frame of the truck at its rearend, are pivoted trunnions 19 at the end of arms 20, extending from acollar 21, shrunk on the tubular casing 22, said trunnions carrying thesegmental worm-gears 23, driven by worms 25 on shafts 26, extendingrearwardly through suitable bearings 27 on the truck, the front ends ofthe shafts carrying worm-gears 29.

In said shafts, near the worms 25, there are interposed fiexiblecouplings 28, which serve to avoid strains on the long shafts 26, whichwould otherwise be caused by slight flexure of the frame caused by theback pressure from the water thrown out of the nozzle when in action.The gears 29 are driven by worms 30 on the common shaft 31 of twowater-wheels 33 34, inclosed in a casing 35, said waterwheels beingarranged to drive said shaft in opposite directions, and in order toavoid longitudinal strain on the motor-shaft the worms 30 at the twoends of the shaft are made right and left handed, respectively. Tooperate said water-wheels, a feed-pipe 37 leads from the receiver 9 to athree-way valve 38. (Shown in detail in Figs. 12 and 13.)

The valve 38 has two discharge-openings 39 41, over which swings thegate 42, loosely mounted on a shaft 43, controlled by the handle 45,said shaft having squared sides 46, and said gate having two parallelside plates 47, fitting snugly over said squared sides, so as to beguided in a radial reciprocation from said shaft. The gate being formedin a section of a cylinder having the shaft for center will be caused tofit snugly against that one of the openings 39 41 which it closes by thepressure of the water against the concave inner face of the gate, and inaddition there is provided a bow-spring 49, secured on the face of theshaft 43 between the squared sides, which spring exerts a constantpressure on said concave face to keep the gate to its work. A pipe leadsfrom the discharge-opening 39 to one of the sides of the casing 35 tooperate one of the water-wheels 33 and drive the shaft 31 in onedirection, and a pipe 51 leads from the discharge-openin g 41 to theother side of the casing and operates the other wheel 34 to drive theshaft 31 in the opposite direction. Thus after a connection has beenmade with any one of the hose from the'several fire-engines and pressure-water has been supplied to the receiver 9 then by operating thehandle 45 the shaft 31 will be actuated by the pressure of the waterfrom the receiver in the desired direction, and thus by means of theworms 30, gears 29, shafts 26, worms 25, and segmental gears 23 thetower proper may be raised from its normal position, as shown in Fig. 1,in which the .upper end rests on a vertical frame 52 on the front end ofthe truck, to a substantially-vertical position for operation. When inthis position, the standpipe 15 is connected with adepending pipe 53,carried by the tower,and brought by the above operation into a positionin line with the standpipe 15. For this purpose the coupling is used.

shown in detailin Fig. 14. In the top of the stand-pipe 15 is telescopeda tube 54, packed by a washer 55 and normally drawn down by a spring 57,attached to the end of a lever 58, fulcrumed on the stand-pipe at 60,the other end of the spring being attached to the stand-pipe 15 abovethe lever. Thus the depending pipe 53 can be swung immediately over thetop of the tube 54, and when in this position the depression of thelever 58 raises the tube 54, which is connected to said lever by a link59, and permits the coupling to be made. Said tube 54 has anoutwardly-turned flange 61, and around said flange is carried thelocknut 62. Said lock-nut is internally threaded, and the lower end ofthe pipe 53 is externally threaded; but each of these threads has halfof its circumference cut away in three equidistant portions, eachone-sixth of the entire circumference, as shown at 63. Before the pipes15 and 53 are coupled the locknut 62 is in such position that its threethreaded sections are immediately below the unthreaded or cut-awaysections of the sleeve 54, so that when the lock-nut 62 is moved upwardone-third of a turn of the lock-n ut causes its screw-threads to be inengagement along the whole of their length with the threads of the pipe53, thus firmly locking the pipes 15 and 53 together. the lock-nut andpipe 53 respectively serve to indicate by their engagement the properposition for connecting.

Two buttons 65 and 66 on,

The pipe 53 terminates in its upper end in the globular chamber 67, openat the top, as shown at 69, and discharging into the converging mouth 70of the upwardly-extending pipe 71. The lower end of said tube 71 at itsjunction with the mouth 70 is supported within the casing 22 by a ring72, secured to said casing and surrounding a collar 76, encircling thelower end of the tube 71 and resting upon the upper conical end of themouth 70.

The globular chamber 67 is mounted on trunnions 74, extending inwardlyfrom the opposite sides ofv the end of the casing 22 and supported in aring 75 in the end of the easing, and the lower end of the pipe 53 isalso connected by ties or braces 7 7 with the lower edge of the casing22, the ties 77 having pivotal connections 79 with said lower edge.Suitable packing 81 is provided secured by a ring 82, screwed onto thebottom of the ring 75. Thus there is provided a ball-and-socket jointbetween the pipe 53' and the main pipe 71 of the water-tower, saidlatter pipe, with the water-tower,having thus freedom of movement on thetrunnions 19 within 'the limits permitted by the ball-and-socketcoupling to enable the nozzle of the water-tower to be variouslydirected over the front of the building on fire, and this swinging ofthe tower on its trunnions can be readily operated from the water-wheels33 34 and controlled by the three-way valve 38 as soon as a single hosehas been coupled up. vThus when the tower has been erected and extendeda wide range can be covered by the nozzle by swinging the toweraccording to the part which it is required to cover.

The frame of the tower comprises the lower casing 22, an upper casing83, tubular rods 85, connected at their lower ends by rods 86 to thelower casing and converging slightly to the upper casing 83, obliqueties 87, and transverse ties 89, bracing said rods together. Withinzsaidupper and lower casings 83 22 are inclosed the main tube or pipe 71 andthe hollow mast 90, the latter telescoping over the former and carryingthe nozzle 91.

To extend the mast 90 from the main tube 71, a worm-rack 93 is securedon the outside of said mast, and with said rack 93 there meshes a worm94 on a hollow shaft 95. 97 is agearring revolubly mounted on the uppercasing 83, apertured to permit the mast 90 to slide therethrough, saidmast beingprevented from turning in said ring by reason of a feather 98on the mast moving in a recess 99 in the ring. Said ring is suitablyrecessed, as at 101, to permit the rack 93 to pass therethrough and alsoapertured, as at 102, to receive the hollow shaft 95. Said shaft extendsthe length of the main pipe 71 and is driven from its lower end by meansof a pinion 103, meshing with a gear-wheel 105,-encircling the tube 71,said wheel being driven by a pinion 106 on a sleeve 107, loosely mountedon a shaft 109, supported in brackets 110, secured within the casing 22,said sleeve 107 also carryis communicated from the shaft 117 to .the.

sleeve 115 by means of the clutch 125, thrown into engagement with saidsleeve by means of the clutch-handle 126, the rotation of which, throughthe pins 127 in oblique slots 129 in a collar 130, moves said clutch 125longitudinally along the shaft 117. It will thus be seen that by movingthe clutch upward the parts are so connected that the turning of the han'dles 119 operates to rotate the hollow shaft 95 and extend the mastupward from the main tube. This movement of extension is limited bytheabutment against a ring 131 of a sleeve 133, threaded onto the lower endof the mast 90, carrying packing 134, secured between said sleeve 133and a nut 135, screwed thereon. The ring 131 is held between a shortcylinder 137, bolted, as shown at 138, to the upper casing 83 and a ring139, screwed into the upper end of said cylinder 137, tapering rollers141 being interposed between the ring 131 and the c linder 137 to permitsaid ring to .revolve wi hout friction within said cylinder. .The ring131, like the gear-ring 97, is apertured to permit the passagetherethrou'gh of the mast and hollow shaft 95. The gear-ring 97 is inlike manner provided with tapering antifriction-rollers 142 between saidgear-ring 97 and the upper end of the said upper casing 83, saidgear-ring being maintained in place revolubly in said casing by meansofthe nut 143. On the gear-ring 97, on the side opposite to that towhich the nozzle points, is

mounted a roller 146, engaging the mast9O to avoid the friction due tothe back pressure from the nozzle, and on the ring 131 is mounted asimilar roller 147, but on the same side as the nozzle, the pressure atthis point being in the opposite direction to that at the ring 97.

By moving the clutch 125 downward the parts are so engaged that theturning of the handles 126 operates to change the inclination of thenozzle to the mast as follows: The clutch 125 being moved downward, theshaft 117 then drives, through the medium of said clutch, a short sleeve148, loosely mounted on said shaft 117, said sleeve having formedthereon a sprocket wheel 149, and thus, through the medium of the chain150, passing through an aperture in the casing 22, drives asprocket-wheel 151 on a sleeve 152, mounted on the shaft 109, saidsleeve 152 having also a pinion 153, meshing with a gear-wheel 154,encircling the tube 71. Said gear-wheel on its opposite side meshes witha pinion 155, secured to a hollow shaft 157 lierated by a handle 186.strain upon the hollow shafts 95 and 157,

within the shaft 95, the lower end of the shaft 157 being stepped, asshown at 156, in a ring 158, surrounding the tube 71 and resting on thecollar 76. The hollow shaft 157 contains a bar 159, preferably hexagonalin section, as shown in Figs. 5, 6, and 7, and thus the rotation of theshaft 157 imparts rotation to the bar 159, while permitting longitudinalmovement of said bar. The upper end of said bar is turned to rotate in abracket 162, mounted on a curved section 163, secured on the upper endof the mast 90, and upon the extreme end of said bar is secured a worm165, which engages a segmental worm-gear 166, secured by arms 167 on thenozzle 91. Said nozzle 91 is pivotally mounted by trunnions 169 on theglobular month 1.70 of the curved section 163, so as to have aball-andsocket movement therein, the water being directed into thenozzle 91 by means of the bell-mouth 171. Thus it will-be seen that therotation of the crank-handles 119 operates when the clutch is throwndown to raise or lower the nozzle to any desired angle with the mastwithin the limits of the ball-andsocket joint, and this operativeconnection is not alfected by the telescopic movement of the mast on themain tube 71.

In order to turn the nozzle in any direction around the axis of themast, the mast itself is turned by means of a toothed gear 174, formedon the outside of the gear-ring .the upper and lower casings 83 22,respectively, said shaft being driven through a worm-gear 181 thereon bymeans of a worm 182 on a shaft 183, mounted transversely to the casing22 in brackets 185 thereon and op- In order to avoid caused by therotation of the gear-ring 97, carrying the upper ends of said shafts,while the lower ends are supported in a ring 158, said ring is likewisecaused to rotate with the gear-ring 97, and for this purpose the ring158 is formed with a toothed gear 187, meshing with a pinion 188 on theshaft 177, said pinion extending through an aperture 189 in the casing22 to engage said toothed gear 187. The two pinions 175 and 188 on theupper and lower ends, respectively, of the shaft 177, meshing with therings 97 and 158 on the upper and-lower ends of the mast and tube, thusmaintain the mast and the shaft 95 in parallelism.

I claim- 1. In a water-tower, the combination of a pivoted frame, a maintube carried therein, a receiver, a conduit and flexible coupling forconnecting the receiver with the main tube, means for supplyingpressure-water to the receiver from fire-hose, a water-wheel and anoperative connection therefrom to the frame to swing the same on itspivot, and a feedor TIO . A- eonnecting the receiver with the main tube,

means for supplying pressure-water to the re 'ceiver from fire-hose, twooppositely-rotatin g 1b water-wheels and a shaft on which both of saidwheels are mounted, operative connections from the shaft to the frame toswing the same on its pivot, a feed or branch pipe from the receiver,and a reversing-valve directing I 5 the water from said pipe to one orthe other of the wheels, substantially as described.

3. In a water-tower, the combination of a horizontally-pivoted tower, ashaft parallel to the pivotal axis of the tower, a motoron said shaftfor driving the same, and longitudinal shafts, each operativelyconnecting one end of said tower-axis with the corresponding end of themotor-shaft, said longitudinal shafts being rotated in oppositedirections by said motor, substantially as described.

4. In a water-tower, the combination of .a horizontally pivoted towerframe, a main tube carried thereby, a downwardly-extend.- ing pipemovably jointed to said main tube,

a stationary stand-pipe for supplying water,

and a connecting-pipe extensible from one of said pipes to the other,and a coupling for the latter pipe and the connecting-pipe,substantiallyas described.

5. In a water-tower, the combination of a horizontally pivotedtowerframe, a main tube carried thereby, a downwardly-extending pipemovably jointed to said main tube, a stationary stand-pipe for supplyingwater,

0 a tube at the upper end of said stand-pipe, vertically movablerelative thereto,and means for coupling said tube anddownwardly-extending pipe, substantially as described.

6. In a water-tower, the combination of a horizontally -swingingtower-frame, a main tube carried therein, a stationary stand-pipe forsupplying water,a tube vertically movable in said stand-pipe, a springnormally depress- -ing said tube, coupling-sections carried by said tubeand the swinging tower-frame, and

a lever for raising said tube to bring said sections together,substantially as described.

7. In a-water-tower, the combination of a horizontally-swinging casing,amain tube carried therein, a globular chamber discharging into said tubeand pivoted on trunnions extending inwardly from the casing, a pipeextending downward from said chamber, and ties extending downward fromthe outside of the casing to the bottom of said pipe and having pivotalconnections with said casing, substantially as described.

8. In a water-tower, the combination of a main tube, a hollow masttelescoping over the main tube, a nozzle mounted on the end of saidmast, a rack on the outside of said mast, a shaft and means foractuating the rack extending parallel with the main tube and mast, meansfor rotating the mast around its axis, said means carrying also theupper end of said shaft, and means for simultaneously rotating the lowerend of said shaft about the main tube, whereby said shaft is maintainedparallel with the mast and tube, substantially as described.

9. In a water-tower, the combination of a main tube, a hollow masttelescoping over the main tube, means for rotating said mast on itsaxis, a nozzle mounted on the upper end of said mast, a rack on theoutside of said mast, a shaft extending parallel with the main tube andmast, a ring revoluble around the main tube and supporting the lower endof said shaft, a ringlmounted around the hollow mast and revolubletherewith supporting the upper end of said shaft, a worm onthe upper endof said shaft, and means for rotating said shaft, substantially asdescribed.

10. In a water-tower, the combination of a main tube, a hollow masttelescoping over the main tube, a rack on the outside of said mast, anozzle pivotally mounted on the upper end of said mast, a hollow shaftextending parallel with the main tube, a Worm on the upper end of saidshaft engaging said rack, a second hollow shaft within the first shaft,a rod within said second shaft extensible therefrom and rotatingtherewith, a worm on the upper end of said rod, a worm-gear carried bythe nozzle and engaged by said worm, and means for rotating the saidshafts, substantially as described.

11. In a water-tower, the combination of a main tube, a hollow masttelescoping over the main tube, a rack onthe outside of said mast, anozzle pivotally mounted on the upper end of said mast, a hollow shaftextending parallel with the main tube, a worm on the upper end of saidshaft engaging said rack, a second hollow shaft within the first shaft,a rod within said second shaft extensible therefrom and rotatingtherewith, a worm on the upper end of said rod, a worm-gear carried bythe nozzle and engaged by said worm, a driving-shaft, and means foroperatively connecting said driving-shaft with either of the hollowshafts, substantially as described.

12. In a water-tower, the combination of a frame, a main tube mountedthereon, a hollow mast telescopically connected with the main tube, anozzle pivotally carried on the end of said mast, shafts for extendingsaid mast and rocking said nozzle, a ring revolubly'mounted on the upperend of the frame, and apertured to permit the passage therethrough ofsaid mast and shafts, and means for rotating said ring, substantially asdescribed.

13. In a water-tower, the combination of a frame, a main tube mountedtherein,a hollow mast telescopically connected with the main tube, anozzle pivotally carried on the end of said shaft, shafts forextendingsaid mast and rocking said nozzle, a ring revolubly mounted onthe upper end of the frame, and apertured to permit the passagetherethrough of said mast and shafts, an antifriction-roller mounted onsaid ring and abutting against saidmast, and means for rotating saidring, substantially as described.

14. In a water-tower, the combination of a frame, a main tube mountedtherein, a hollow mast telescopically connected with the main tube, anozzle pivotally carried on the end of said mast, shafts for extendingsaid mast and rocking said nozzle, a ring revolubly mounted on the upperend of the frame and apertured to permit the passage therethrough ofsaid mast and shafts, an antifriction-roller mounted on said ring andabutting against said mast, means for rotating said ring, a second ringlimiting the upward movement of said mast, and an antifriction-roller onsaid second ring, substantially as described.

15. In a water-tower, the combination of a frame, a main tube mountedtherein, a hollow mast extensible therefrom, a nozzle pivotally carriedon the end of said mast, shafts for extending said mast and rocking saidnozzle, a ring revolubly mounted on the upper end of the frame, the mastand shafts being rotated therewith, a ring at the lower end of the framesupporting said shafts, and means for simultaneously rotating both ofsaid rings, substantially as described.

16. In a water-tower, the combination of a frame, a main tube mountedtherein, a hollow mast extensible therefrom, a nozzle pivotally carriedon the end of said mast, a hollow shaft mounted in the frame extendingthe length of the main tube, means for rotating the shaft from its lowerend, a rod in said shaft,rotating therewith and extensible therefrom,and cooperative gears on said nozzle and the end of said rod forrockingthe nozzle from the rotation of said shaft, substantially as described.

17. In a water-tower, the combination of a main tube, a hollow mastextensible therefrom, a shaft and means carried thereon for extendingsaid mast, a curved section in the upper end of said mast having aglobular end, a conical nozzle diametrically pivoted on said globularend, a segmental gear secured on the said nozzle at one end of itspivotal axis, a rotarily-driven shaft inside the firstnamed shaft, and aworm on the end of the inner shaft engaging said gear to rock saidnozzle, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing wit nesses.

HENRY H. GORTER.

\Vitnesses:

FRANCIS M. WRIGHT, CHAS. W. SMYTH.

